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Critics of unpaid internships say the government’s own inspection results prove that illegal employment practices are more prevalent than previously thought.

“The blitz showed that these violations are widespread — almost the norm,” said Ella Henry, co-chair of Students Against Unpaid Internship Scams. “The existing complaints-based enforcement mechanism just isn’t working. It isn’t deterring employers from breaking the law.”

Henry applauded the ministry for carrying out the inspection blitzes but said it isn’t enough.

“If you’re doing an internship, you’re not doing it for pay; you’re doing it for reference letters. If you file a complaint, that’s out the window. The last thing you want to do is get blacklisted by filing a complaint,” she said. “Instead of blitzes, we need proactive, ongoing enforcement — because it’s up to the government to enforce the law, not interns.”

The ministry inspected 56 businesses in the GTA, and found of the 31 businesses which had interns, 13 were breaking the Employment Standards Act. It ordered the businesses to pay $48,543 in back pay after they were found to have not respected the minimum wage or rules on vacation or public-holiday pay.

That’s why the NDP is calling for an “intern bill of rights” to be posted in businesses that employ interns. A private-members bill tabled by MPP Peggy Sattler calls for the ministry to allow for anonymous complaints to be filed against employers for internship abuses.

“The current law, even if it is fully enforced, does not offer sufficient protections for interns,” she said. “It’s more than enforcing the law. It’s changes to the law that are needed.”

While there’s been a growing tide of outcry against internships, it doesn’t seem to have discouraged the practice.

“It’s astonishing, the number of firms and employers who put it right out there — they want unpaid interns and employees. It remains a widespread problem despite the growing awareness,” Sattler said.

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Yet, the overall tide may be turning against the widespread use of unpaid interns. After some high-profile cases in the United States in which interns were awarded tens of thousands of dollars in back pay, employers seem to be taking notice.

According to a survey carried out earlier this year, almost two-thirds of human resources professionals in Ontario — 62 per cent — believe unpaid internships not tied to education or training should be illegal.

“Many respondents said that no organization should be exempt from the Employment Standards Act, particularly concerning minimum-wage laws,” said Kristina Hidas, vice president of the Human Resources Professional Association, in a press release.

“Other respondent concerns included that unpaid internships displace paid workers, and that the practice is unfair because it provides an advantage to wealthy young people who receive family support while working for no pay,” said Hidas, who authored the survey.

Internships in general, but not the unpaid ones, got a defence Tuesday from the Ministry of Labour. “Internships provide an important springboard for many people to gain valuable experience,” said Craig MacBride, a spokesperson for Labour Minister Kevin Flynn. “With a few exceptions, unpaid internships are illegal, and interns, like all employees, have rights under the Employment Standards Act that entitle them to, among other rights, the minimum wage.”

In addition to the enforcement blitz, the government has been reaching out to interns via social media and asks those with concerns to file a complaint.

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